Individuals and companies operating in Kenya’s growing solar energy sector will now be required to obtain licences through the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) before offering their services.
In a notice issued on Monday, June 22, EPRA outlined new licensing requirements targeting solar technicians, contractors, vendors, manufacturers and importers as part of efforts to streamline the renewable energy industry and strengthen compliance.
The regulator said all applications must be submitted through its online licensing portal together with the required supporting documents.
Under the new guidelines, solar photovoltaic (PV) technicians involved in the installation, maintenance, testing and repair of solar power systems will be required to apply for licences under three categories depending on their qualifications and scope of work.
EPRA said applications for technician licences will be processed within 60 days.
Applicants applying for T1 licences will be charged an application fee of Ksh250, licence grant fee of Ksh1,000 and annual renewal fee of Ksh500. For the second category T2, application fee of Ksh500, licence grant fee of Ksh2,000 and annual renewal fee of Ksh750 is required.
In the third category, T3, an applicant will pay an application fee of Ksh750, licence grant fee of Ksh3,000 and annual renewal fee of Ksh1,000.
In addition, the authority has provided regulations requiring the licensing of firms dealing with design, installation, sales and manufacture of solar technology.
Companies applying for a Class C1 contractor licence will pay an application fee of Ksh500, a licence grant fee of Ksh1,000 and an annual renewal fee of Ksh1,000. EPRA indicated that approvals of contractor, vendor and manufacturer licenses are expected within 30 days.
Vendors and manufacturers have been placed under V1 and V2 categories. V1 licence holders will pay Ksh1,000 application fee, Ksh2,500 grant fee and Ksh1,000 annual renewal fee.
For V2 licences, applicants will pay Ksh2,000 for application, Ksh5,000 grant fee and Ksh2,000 annual renewal fee.
The new regulations also cover professionals working in the solar water heating sector.
The technicians involved in installation and maintenance of solar water heating systems will be forced to apply for licences falling in either the SHW1 or SHW2 licence classes with applications being reviewed within a period of 60 days.
Application for the SHW1 class will cost Ksh500, Ksh1,000 and Ksh1,000 for annual renewal while SHW2 licence application will cost Ksh750, Ksh1,500 and Ksh1,500 respectively.
For the business operators in the solar water heating sector, the Energy Regulatory Commission (EPRA) has established three licensing classes covering contractors, vendors, manufacturers and importers.
For those applying for SHC1 licences the cost shall be Ksh2,000 for application, Ksh1,500 for grant of the licence and Ksh1,500 for annual renewal. On the other hand the applicants for SHC2 and SHM licences shall each pay Ksh3,000 for application, Ksh2,000 for grant and Ksh2,000 for annual renewal.
This directive is coming at a time when more and more investments are being made in the renewable energy sector of which solar energy is gradually gaining popularity among individuals and institutions.
Recently, the EPRA has intensified its sensitization campaigns to encourage the service providers in this sector to get themselves registered with the agency.